In some respects, this is also true in my relationship with God. While I’m very much the full time recipient of outrageous & inexplainable grace, I’m also keenly aware that my desire to be crazy intimate with God doesn’t happen entirely by osmosis & the lack of intention or attention. Becoming increasingly intimate with God requires my surrender, cooperation & commitment. But what always takes my breath away with God is that any effort I make is overwhelmingly outmatched with opulent, genuine & astounding divine love – way better than the easy button ,)

When I was in high school, I had a photography class where we learned how to process film, back in the “dark ages.” I learned about chemicals, processing time, dark rooms, film, etc. It was a really cool experience to shoot a picture & then go through the process to make a print that I could show everyone – particularly if the picture was really cool. The outcome had the potential to far outweigh the process.
The same is true for us with patience, faithfulness, trusting God, maturity, faith, genuine love & all things that pertain the God. The process can get a little harrowing & tricky, but the outcomes are completely divine 🙂